Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Israeli military-occupied territory in southern Lebanon and declared that Israeli forces would not withdraw as long as Iran-backed Hezbollah continued to threaten Israel, despite a US-mediated security agreement reached last week that envisages a phased Israeli pullback from parts of the area.Speaking to Israeli troops during his visit, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel’s military presence would continue until it considered the security threat from Hezbollah to have ended.“Our insistence is that we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is removed,” Netanyahu told troops, according to a statement released by his office, “And as long as Hezbollah remains here, armed and threatening us, we will remain here as well.”Netanyahu was accompanied by Israeli defence minister Israel Katz and senior military officials. It was his first visit to occupied Lebanese territory since Israel and Lebanon reached a US-mediated security agreement last Friday under which Israeli forces are expected to hand over two areas to the Lebanese army. His previous public visit to the occupied territory was in April.Under the agreement, Israeli troops are to withdraw from two “pilot zones”, allowing the Lebanese armed forces to assume control. However, few details have been released on how the arrangement will be implemented, and Netanyahu’s remarks suggest Israel’s wider military presence will remain tied to its assessment of the Hezbollah threat.Israel says its military has established a buffer zone extending around 10 kilometres into southern Lebanon along the length of the border to protect communities in northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah. The Israeli military says it has destroyed infrastructure, including underground tunnels, used by the militant group.The campaign has also forced large numbers of Lebanese civilians from their homes, with Israeli forces carrying out raids on villages and demolishing buildings in the area.During his address to troops, Netanyahu said Hezbollah still possessed around 12,000 rockets and missiles. He also claimed the Israeli military had killed 9,000 Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, although he did not specify a timeframe and appeared to be referring to the period since the conflict escalated on March 2. Hezbollah does not publish casualty figures. Reuters reported on May 4 that several thousand Hezbollah fighters had been killed during the war.The latest conflict began after Israel invaded Lebanon following Hezbollah attacks on March 2, which the group said were launched in response to US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The fighting has since expanded into a wider regional conflict.According to the figures cited, more than 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon and over one million displaced since Israel’s military campaign began in March. Israel has reported that at least 32 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks, most of them in southern Lebanon.Under US pressure, Israel agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah on June 19, although violence has continued. Iran has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of its negotiations with the United States aimed at ending the broader regional war that began in February. Israel, which is not directly involved in those talks, has opposed linking the Lebanon conflict to negotiations over Iran.Hezbollah has repeatedly objected to the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and is not participating in the talks.
